diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/browser/chat-outline.spec.ts b/packages/app/e2e/browser/chat-outline.spec.ts
index bc58e46ab5..9dd3c33313 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/browser/chat-outline.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/browser/chat-outline.spec.ts
@@ -17,12 +17,14 @@ import {
   hoverChatOutlinePrompt,
   chatOutlineRail,
   movePointerOffChatOutline,
+  observePromptIndexRequests,
   pointAtChatOutlineRowEdge,
   pressEnterOnFocusedPrompt,
   splitCurrentPanelRight,
   withStreamingMarkdownOutline,
   expectReadingStreamedMarkdown,
 } from "../support/helpers/chat-outline";
+import { createCreationScenario } from "../support/helpers/creation";
 import {
   expectTimelineAtMaximumScrollWithPromptVisible,
   expectTimelinePromptNotMounted,
@@ -266,3 +268,21 @@ test.describe("desktop chat outline", () => {
     }
   });
 });
+
+test("indexes a new agent's prompts only once the agent exists", async ({ page }) => {
+  const promptIndex = await observePromptIndexRequests(page);
+  const creation = await createCreationScenario(page);
+  try {
+    await page.setViewportSize(WIDE_VIEWPORT);
+    await creation.openAgentDraft();
+    await creation.submitPrompt("Start an agent with an outline.");
+    await creation.expectPromptVisible();
+
+    const agentIds = await creation.agentIds();
+    expect(agentIds).toHaveLength(1);
+    await promptIndex.waitForRequestFor(agentIds[0]!);
+    expect(promptIndex.requestedAgentIds()).toEqual(agentIds);
+  } finally {
+    await creation.cleanup();
+  }
+});
diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/chat-outline.ts b/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/chat-outline.ts
index 09e28cd3af..d219979fcf 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/chat-outline.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/chat-outline.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { openSettings } from "./app";
 import { openSettingsSection } from "./settings";
 import { runWorkspaceActionFromCommandCenter } from "./command-center-workspace-actions";
 import { seedMockAgentWorkspace, type MockAgentWorkspace } from "./mock-agent";
+import { loadSessionMessageReaders } from "./new-workspace";
 
 export async function withStreamingMarkdownOutline(
   run: (agent: MockAgentWorkspace) => Promise<void>,
@@ -229,3 +230,22 @@ async function requireBoundingBox(
   }
   return box;
 }
+
+export async function observePromptIndexRequests(page: Page) {
+  const frames = await loadSessionMessageReaders();
+  const agentIds: string[] = [];
+  page.on("websocket", (socket) => {
+    socket.on("framesent", ({ payload }) => {
+      const request = frames.client(payload);
+      if (request?.type === "agent.timeline.list_prompts.request") {
+        agentIds.push(request.agentId);
+      }
+    });
+  });
+  return {
+    async waitForRequestFor(agentId: string) {
+      await expect.poll(() => agentIds).toContain(agentId);
+    },
+    requestedAgentIds: () => [...new Set(agentIds)],
+  };
+}
diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/creation.ts b/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/creation.ts
index df0ec30066..09cd2ea290 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/creation.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/creation.ts
@@ -206,6 +206,12 @@ export async function createCreationScenario(page: Page) {
         )
         .toBe(count);
     },
+    async agentIds() {
+      await requests.settled();
+      return (await project.client.fetchAgents()).entries
+        .filter(({ agent }) => agent.workspaceId === workspaceId)
+        .map(({ agent }) => agent.id);
+    },
     async expectAgentTitle(title: string) {
       await expect
         .poll(
diff --git a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/model.test.ts b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/model.test.ts
index 81811c7d78..f11be1ea77 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/model.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/model.test.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ describe("chat outline prompt index epoch", () => {
   it("accepts only the authoritative timeline epoch", () => {
     expect(shouldAcceptPromptIndexEpoch("epoch-2", "epoch-2")).toBe(true);
     expect(shouldAcceptPromptIndexEpoch("epoch-2", "epoch-1")).toBe(false);
-    expect(shouldAcceptPromptIndexEpoch(null, "epoch-1")).toBe(true);
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/model.ts b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/model.ts
index 3d71d52b5f..0fb4b5dcb6 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/model.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/model.ts
@@ -2,11 +2,8 @@ import type { AgentTimelinePromptIndexPayload } from "@getpaseo/client/internal/
 
 export type ChatOutlinePrompt = AgentTimelinePromptIndexPayload["prompts"][number];
 
-export function shouldAcceptPromptIndexEpoch(
-  timelineEpoch: string | null,
-  indexEpoch: string,
-): boolean {
-  return timelineEpoch === null || timelineEpoch === indexEpoch;
+export function shouldAcceptPromptIndexEpoch(timelineEpoch: string, indexEpoch: string): boolean {
+  return timelineEpoch === indexEpoch;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/use-chat-outline.test.tsx b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/use-chat-outline.test.tsx
index d84db755e9..4b2139fef6 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/use-chat-outline.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/use-chat-outline.test.tsx
@@ -37,6 +37,31 @@ describe("useChatOutline", () => {
     runtime.subscribeAgentTimeline.mockClear();
   });
 
+  it("waits for a served timeline before requesting its prompt index", async () => {
+    runtime.listAgentTimelinePrompts.mockResolvedValue({ epoch: "epoch-1", prompts: [] });
+    const viewportRef = createRef<StreamViewportHandle>();
+    const { rerender } = renderHook(
+      ({ agentId, timelineEpoch }) =>
+        useChatOutline({
+          agentId,
+          serverId: "server-1",
+          timelineEpoch,
+          tail: [],
+          head: [],
+          enabled: true,
+          viewportRef,
+          onJumpError: vi.fn(),
+        }),
+      { initialProps: { agentId: "draft_msg_1", timelineEpoch: null as string | null } },
+    );
+
+    expect(runtime.listAgentTimelinePrompts).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    rerender({ agentId: "agent-1", timelineEpoch: "epoch-1" });
+    await waitFor(() => expect(runtime.listAgentTimelinePrompts).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
+    expect(runtime.listAgentTimelinePrompts).toHaveBeenCalledWith("agent-1");
+  });
+
   it("drops a late prompt index after the authoritative timeline epoch changes", async () => {
     const first = deferred<{ epoch: string; prompts: [] }>();
     const second = deferred<{
diff --git a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/use-chat-outline.ts b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/use-chat-outline.ts
index b59e670a5d..015b883d21 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/use-chat-outline.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/chat-outline/use-chat-outline.ts
@@ -77,8 +77,10 @@ export function useChatOutline({
 
   useEffect(() => setIndex(null), [agentId, enabled, serverId, timelineEpoch]);
 
+  // Only a timeline the daemon has served can be indexed. A draft's optimistic stream has no
+  // epoch, and its id names no agent the daemon knows.
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (!isWeb || !enabled) {
+    if (!isWeb || !enabled || timelineEpoch === null) {
       setIndex(null);
       return;
     }